Hairpin



Patented May 18, 1954 Ul'iE STATES RATENT OFFICE HAIRPIN Ernest H. Butler, Arlington, Va.

Application November 9, 1951, Serial No. 255,573

15 Claims. 1

a hairpin with removable legs which is easy to use and yet is of simple and inexpensive structure.

Still another object of the invention is to provide such a hairpin in which the legs are firmly and securely held and yet are easy to remove.

A further object of the invention is to provide such a hairpin in which friction is relied on to hold the legs in position, and the structure of which is such that this friction is increased and augmented by the mere insertion of the hairpin into the hair.

More specifically, this is accomplished by so constructing the legs that in normal position they are convergent, so that when they are spread apart into parallel relation when inserted into the hair they will be tilted away from normal position so as to increase the pressure with which the head portions bear in their sockets and thus increase the frictional grip of the sockets on the legs.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will appear more fully from the following description, especially when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings which form. a part thereof.

In the drawings:

Fig. l is a side elevation of a hairpin embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is an end elevation thereof;

Fig. 3 is a top plan view;

Fig. 4. is a cross-section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a cross-section on the line 5-45 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is across-section through the head member in the center of Fig. 5; and

Fig. 7 is a bottom plan view of the head memher.

The hairpin is formed of three parts, a head member 2 and two legs 4.

The head member 2, in the preferred form shown, is of elongated form and includes a. top wall 6, side walls 8 and end walls It. The head member is open at the bottom. However, the end portions [2 of the side walls 8 are thicker at the bottom than at the top, or tapered upwardly, so that the openin in the bottom of the head member has a wide central portion 14 (see Fig. 7 and narrower end portions i6. There is thus formed in each end of the head member a trapezoidal recess or socket shown in cross-section in Fig. 5.

Each of the legs 4 has at its top a head part 18 which is of such size as to pass through, the wider part 14 of the opening in the bottom of the head member and to: fit snugly in the recesses in the ends thereof. Preferably, as shown in Fig. 4, this head part 18 has two surfaces at right angles to each other, one a top surface 20 which engages the inside of top wall 6 and the other a side surface 22 which engagesthe inside of end wall ill. The leg 4 is not formed parallel to this second surface 22, but is inwardly inclined with respect to it so that the two legs are normally somewhat convergent when arranged within the head member.

While I prefer to obtain the convergence of the legs in the manner shown, it is clear that the same effect could be achieved by shaping the head part of the legs and the receiving recesses in other ways, as long as the insertion of the legs into the head member results in such convergence.

Preferably, the length of wider portion l4 of the opening in the bottom of the head member is less than twice the dimension of the head part of one leg, so that both legs cannot be drawn out simultaneously from the head.

Each leg is provided on its inner side, that is, on the side facing the other leg, with a plurality of upwardly slanting prongs 24.

In use, the hairpin in the assembled condition shown in Fig. 1 is inserted into the wearer's hair. This insertion, because of the camming action of the sloping lower faces of the upwardly inclined prongs 24, tends to push the legs apart and thus to seat the head parts l8 of the legs within the recesses in the head 2. Such insertion also tends to spread the logs into parallelism. This outward pressure on the legs, to which the whole device can yield to some extent both because of the inevitable tolerances and because of the resiliency of the material, causes an increase in the surface pressure between the head parts l8 of the legs and the interior walls of the recesses in the head member and thus increases the frictional grip of the head member on the legs. The danger of the legs slipping out of the head is thus greatly decreased.

In order to remove the hairpin, the head parts of the legs are moved inwardly one at a. time until they can be pulled out through enlarged part I4 of the opening in the bottom of the head member. The legs can then be pulled downwardly out of the hair, the prongs 24 not interfering with this operation because of their upward slope.

The device can be readily reassembled for another use by reinserting the head parts I8 one at a time through opening 14 and sliding them laterally into their recesses.

The hairpin is preferably made of a suitable plastic material, although metal or other suitable material may be used.

While I have shown the recesses being closed by solid end walls i 6, it is obvious that any other suitable structure which would limit the outward movement of the head parts 18 in the recesses could be used.

While I have shown a plain head part 2, it is clear that this may be ornamented or may form the base for an ornament which it is desired to carry in the hair.

While I have described herein one embodiment of my invention, I wish it to be understood that I do not intend to limit myself thereby except within the scope of the claims hereto or hereinafter appended.

I claim:

1. A hairpin comprising a head having an elongated opening in its lower face and a recess above such opening, said opening being wider at its center than at its ends, said recess being wider at its ends than the end parts of the opening,

and legs each having a head portion of a thickness not greater than the width of the central part of the opening and engageable snugly in the end parts of the recess and having a shank portion below the head portion of a thickness not greater than the Width of the end parts of the opening.

2. In a device as claimed in claim 1, said central part of the opening being of a length less than twice the breadth of one of the head portions.

3. In a device as claimed in claim 2, said legs :eing at such an angle to the head portions as to be convergent when the head portions fit snugly in the end parts of the recess.

4. In a device as claimed in claim 3, said legs having upwardly directed prongs thereon, said prongs being positioned on the opposed inner sides of the legs.

5. In a device as claimed in claim 4, said heads and the end parts of the recess having in crosssection the form of an inverted trapezoid.

6. In a device as claimed in claim 1, said legs being at such an angle to the head portions as to be convergent when the head portions fit snugly in the end parts of the recess.

7. In a device as claimed in claim 6, said legs having upwardly directed prongs thereon, said prongs being positioned on the opposed inner sides of the legs.

8. In a device as claimed in claim '7, said heads and the end parts of the recess having in crosssection the form of an inverted trapezoid.

9. In a device as claimed in claim 1, said heads and the end parts of the recess having in cross-section the form of an inverted trapezoid.

10. In a device as claimed in claim 1, said legs being at such an angle to the head portions as to be convergent when the head portions fit snugly in the end parts of the recess, said heads and the end parts of the recess having in crosssection the form of an inverted trapezoid.

11. In a device as claimed in claim 10, said legs having upwardly directed prongs thereon, said prongs being positioned on the opposed inner sides of the legs.

12. A hairpin comprising a head having top, side and end walls, the end portions of the side walls being upwardly tapered to provide a trapezoidal space therebetween opening in the bottom of the head, and legs each having a head portion of trapezoidal cross-section engageable snugly in such space, the legs being at such an angle to the head portions as to be convergent when the head portions fit snugly in such spaces.

13. In a device as claimed in claim 12, said legs having upwardly directed prongs thereon, said prongs being positioned on the opposed inner sides of the legs.

14. A hairpin comprising a head having sockets therein and legs having portions frictionally held in said sockets, said sockets normally holding said legs in a relationship convergent away from said head, whereby when said legs are brought into parallelism upon insertion into the hair the frictional grip of the leg portions in the sockets is increased.

15. In a device as claimed in claim 14, said legs having upwardly directed prongs thereon, said prongs being positioned on the opposed inner sides of the legs.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 928,785 McLean July 20, 1909 1,085,212 Kotner Jan. 27, 1914 2,083,845 Hovious et al. June 15, 1937 2,437,502 Butler Mar. 9, 1948 

